Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Health Professionals The People in Health Care
Lecture:Physician assistants, Pharmacists, Therapists, Technicians, Paramedics, Dental Professionals, Mental Health Professionals, Care Coordinators
Non-clinical IT/Informatics Roles for Clinicians
Effects of Changing Care Models on Clinicians
Slide content:EKG Technician Education Often on-the-job training Certificate programs usually consists of a single course Training Basic anatomy, physiology, and electrophysiology of the heart Technical training on how to use the equipment and verify quality of the tracing 16
Slide notes:There are no uniform requirements for education or training of electrocardiogram [ ee - lec - tro - car -dee-o-gram], or EKG, technicians, and many receive on-the-job training. Certificate programs are available and usually entail a single course of fifty to sixty contact hours. Training includes basic anatomy and physiology of the heart. It is particularly important for EKG technicians to understand cardiac electrophysiology [ ee - lek - troh - fiz - ee - ol -uh- jee ], including how an electrical impulse is generated and transmitted through the heart to create sequential contraction of the chambers of the heart. This electrical activity allows blood to circulate through two parallel systems that supply blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. The technician also needs to understand how the placement of the leads [ leeds ] (usually twelve leads, one on each limb and six on the chest in a specific pattern) allow measurement of electrical activity in different parts of the heart. EKG technicians also are trained on how to use the equipment and verify the quality of the EKG tracing. 16